Meet STE Member Malina of AtlantisAK!

It's time to meet another Steel Town Etsian and find out more about them! Introducing Malina Bowen of AtlantisAK Jewelry on Etsy. So glad to have you on our team, Malina!

Tell us a bit about yourself, name, location, affiliations, personal stuff.
I’m Malina, aka Lee, and I make and design jewelry. I am hoping to expand to other projects shortly to further expand my creativity. I currently live in the McKeesport area East of Pittsburgh with my Fiancée, John. I grew up on a farm in Austin, Pennsylvania. The population in Austin is about 600 people maximum, so everyone knew everyone. My back yard was 10+ acres of land and forest and there was always something to do. This gave lots of room for creativity. I hold Austin dear to my heart and am hoping to move back some day. Coming to Pittsburgh to further my education has been a great experience and journey.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I keep to simple things, such as reading, watching movies, shopping and baking. My favorite genres of books are fantasy, such as Stephen King and Anne Rice. For movies, it’s gotta be action, adventure or an awesome horror. 3D makes it even better! I’ve also had a lifelong love for cooking and baking and use my grandmother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook for old home-made goodies. .

What first made you want to become an artist?
Well, most of my family has some sort of artistic talent, so you could say that it runs in my blood to be creative. My grandmother (father’s mother) paints, my grandfather (father’s dad) owns his own woodshop, my mom quilts and has done a lot of cross stitch. It’s a long list of what my relatives do, so I think they’ve all kind of inspired me to do something.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
Honestly I can say that there isn’t an organized ‘creative process’. I like to call it a ‘creative mess’ because when I start making something, it rarely looks like the original idea, if there even was an idea in the first place. Typically I’m more creative and energetic around 5pm through 3am…so this is when most of my work gets done. The materials that I use vary greatly, from sterling silver, to brass, to glass, gemstone and occasionally plastic or Lucite beads. I make sure to keep a variety of materials because not everyone has the same tastes. Re-using or up-cycling things tends to be the most interesting for me because it’s always great to make something new out of something old. There’s also that destructive process involved too, which it’s always fun to tear stuff apart.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
There are actually two hand-made items that I cherish the most. The first one is what my grandmother (my mom’s mom) had hand quilted for me. My grandmother passed in ’95 when I was 8 years old, so I didn’t get much of a chance to know her. The memories I had of her were always nice and happy. What she made for me was a baby quilt of simple squares and design that I’ve had since birth. It’s now an ugly ragged thing that’s been loved to death over 24 years and has always been close to me wherever I’ve gone. It’s one of the things I brought with me from my home town. The other item was made by Raven, a Native American Spiritualist who was a very close friend. She helped me out when I needed her the most and put me on the path coming to Pittsburgh. Raven passed about 3 years ago due to cancer, so I still miss her greatly. I didn’t get to say goodbye. What she made for me was a large table doily of my favorite colors...green, white and black. I also have this with me in Pittsburgh.If I lost either of these items, I don’t know what I’d do.

Name your top five places to be in the Pittsburgh area, books/authors, movies/TV shows, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
Places: Station Square, Point Park, Chop Sticks in Squirrel Hill, Michaels and Starbucks in the Waterfront.Books/Authors: Stephen King, Anne Rice, R.A. Salvatore, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey.Movies/TV Shows: Lost, Ice Age, Interview with the Vampire, House and medical shows.Songs/Musical groups: I can’t say that I have a set group of favorites here…I just love to listen to anything from Big Band, Rock, Pop, Metal…I’m not too much of a fan of Country or Rap though.Websites: Regretsy, Netflix, Craftgawker, Torrid, DeviantArt

What advice would you give to artists who are new to the Pittsburgh craft scene?I’d say:-Do what you love. Because, if you do what you love then it’ll be inspiring to continue for many years.-Make friends join a Team! Friends help out and are great for getting word out about your projects. Teams are great for meeting new people and getting information.-Be patient. It takes a lot of work, patience and time to become successful with crafting.-Don’t burn yourself out…if you feel yourself losing interest, take a break and start again later. I find myself going a few days without crafting only to have a sudden creative streak that lasts for days on end.

What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
One of the features I’m really wanting to see soon is managing multiple shops on one account. It’s incredibly hard to start a new store with no feedback, no friends, nothing. I’m hoping that when this feature comes around, that when you make your other shops, the feedback and hearts you have on the first one will be reflected on the others. It’s hard starting from square one again with no feedback or ‘trust’ in the community.

How do you promote your work?
I use Twitter, Facebook, CraftGawker, my Blog and word of mouth to promote myself. I paid once to get exposure but never made a sale and hardly any hearts…It didn’t seem worth it when, for free, at the right places I could get sales and many more hearts for no cost.In five years I'd like to be...Ideally, I hope to marry a dark, handsome prince and live in a fantasy land castle far, far away... But if that doesn’t happen, I wouldn’t mind to be able to either have my own brick and mortar store for my creations and/or supplies…or be able to support myself from home off of my Etsy sales and never have to travel to work a 9-5 job again.

Thanks Malina! Please check out Malina's beautiful creations in her etsy shop here:
www.atlantisak.etsy.com

Meet STE Members Gemma and Lexi of Mother-Daughter Duo LexiandGem

Steel Town Etsy members Gemma and Lexi of Etsy's mother and daughter duo Lexi and Gem lovingly handcraft jewels that blend two delightful spirits into beautifully simple, sweetly delicate, and memorable pieces. Read on to meet the talented artisans behind their inspired work.


Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff.

Hi, I'm Gemma (Gem of Lexi and Gem), a stay at home mom of two great kids, Lexi and Connor. I'm married to my high school sweetheart.

I, Lexi (the other half of Lexi and Gem), am currently a junior at North Allegheny High School and hope to one day be a Veterinarian. We live in the Ingomar area of the North Hills and are life long Pittsburghers!

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Gem: I like to hike and garden. I really enjoy cooking and having dinner with friends.

Lexi: I like art, watching movies with friends, baking cookies and shopping.

We both love to travel, and we also volunteer together at Animal Friends as doggy foster parents.

What first made you want to become artists?

It wasn't really a conscious decision. We've always enjoyed doing crafts together, from the time Lexi was a little girl. We've done almost every craft imaginable, from finger painting to candle making. Once we became more serious about becoming artists, we started taking classes and workshops. Starting our business on Etsy was Lexi's crazy little side project that grew totally out of control (in a good way!).

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

When we do gemstone pieces, it's kind of a free for all- we pull out the stones and the ideas start flowing. With all of the colors, shapes, and sizes the possibilities are neverending. When we work with Precious Metal Clay (PMC) to make the fine silver pieces however, the process is much more structured. The nature of the clay demands that ideas already be in place before the creating begins. We often sketch out ideas and cut out templates before we start rolling the clay. Felting is a bit of a mystery in that we choose the colors but the flowers design themselves, the wool being sort of in control. We are often inspired by nature and things around us, and current styles and trends play a role when in designing our pieces.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

Gem: favorite handmade pieces are the ones my kids have made. I have their framed artwork hanging throughout our home. I truly loved the Christmas tree we had decorated when the kids were in elementary school, the ornaments were almost completely handmade, I particularly loved the origami garland we made together, sadly it's no longer with us.

Lexi: My favorite handmade piece is the ceramic Merry-Go-Round my mom painted for me when I was little.




Name your top five places to be in the Pittsburgh area, books/authors, movies/TV shows, songs/musical groups, and websites besides Etsy.

TOP 5 Pittsburgh Places
1. The Strip (love the food!)
2. The Three Rivers Arts Festival (so many talented artists)
3. Ross Park Mall (yeah, we like to shop)
4. The Incline (cause the view at the top is amazing, and the ride's pretty cool too)
5 .North Side Farmers Markets (the chocolate chocolate chip raspberry cookies are worth the trip)

TOP 5 Movies
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. The Brothers Bloom
3. Penelope
4. A Few Good Men
5. Shawshank Redemption

What advice would you give to artists who are new to the Pittsburgh craft scene?

Don't let your inhibitions stop you! If you love to create, follow your dream. We'd also suggest networking to get support. Joining the Steel Town Etsy team has been wonderful for us. We've met some really talented artist and have learned alot.

What are your favorite features on Etsy?

We like to peruse the front page, especially the featured sellers.

How do you promote your work?

We promote by word of mouth and social networking. We're on Twitter and have a Facebook Fan Page. We've recently started doing craft shows as well, to increase our local exposure.

In five years I'd like to be...

In five years I (Gem) hope to be still creating and I (Lexi) hope to be entering Vet school and creating as well.

Meet David and Chloe of SleepingBunny

David and Chloe of Etsy's Sleeping Bunny make up a talented pair of crafters who create adorable plush animals made from recycled sweaters and unique, handknit awesomeness. And they are members of Steel Town Etsy, of course! David answered the following questions while Chloe was at class, so what's written is from his perspective. :)

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Sleeping Bunny is made up of David and Chloe, who live on the edge of the city near Crafton. David is a full-time chef who currently works at Blue Dust bar in Homestead, and Chloe is a full-time student working toward a Radiological Technician degree.

Apart from creating things, how do you like to spend your time?

While crafting takes up a good bit of our time, we also enjoy just being out of the house. Our group of friends all meet once a week at a local bar to catch up on things. We both cycle recreationally and like being in the great outdoors when the weather's good.

What first made you want to become an artist?

Chloe has always had the artistic touch, and picked up knitting a few months ago while we were looking for a hobby to pass bad weather days stuck indoors. I've always known how to sew, but picked up making stuffed animals after seeing a book on it in a local bookstore. We love expressing ourselves, and are always looking for new ways to expand our crafter-tunities.





What does your creative process look like- how, when, materials, etc.?

I started out just making a few things from the book I bought on making sock animals, but after learning the basics and a few other techniques from the examples, I decided to branch out. My inspiration comes either from an idea I have for a specific finished product I want and then working the sock to match, or from the sock itself just asking to be made into a certain shape (i made a frog out of frog-printed socks, for example)

Chloe usually makes knits by seeing a yarn she thinks would make a great specific piece of attire. She's new to knitting, as I am to hand sewing, so her repertoire is still expanding. She just makes things that she likes and learns along the way.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

I made a vest that I have yet to finish that I really like. It's deep brown corduroy with a blue and brown flannel lining. Chloe made herself a knit change purse that she uses, but I can't say if it's her most cherished. As far as the sock animals go, Chloe really likes this striped giraffe I made (she even has it in her Facebook profile pic). I'm partial to my sock-o-dile made from a green/brown argyle sock.




What advice would you give to artists who are new to the Pittsburgh craft scene?

Being new to the crafting scene ourselves, I consider us blessed to have done as much as we have so far. If I could give any advice, though, it would be to network. Steel Town Etsy is a great opportunity that's helped immensely, and we couldn't have done nearly what we have without it. I would also suggest buying the book "Crafty Superstar" by Grace Dobush. It really helped us lay out, and figure out, what to do when and how to do it, as far as selling crafts goes.

How do you promote your work?

We try to promote our work shamelessly. I always carry our business cards around with me so I can plaster them wherever I can. Any bulletin board is fair game to me. We also promote heavily on Facebook and through our circle of friends. Our blog isn't well publicized, but it's located at http://sleepingbunny.wordpress.com.


Thanks so much for the interview, Sleeping Bunny! We're honored to have you as part of the STE family! :)


Check out Sleeping Bunny's handcrafted wares at I Made It! Market's Chili with the Works: Spring Art and Chili Festival coming up on Saturday, April 10th!